Sunday, July 20, 2008

Session XXV
5th April 2008
5th day, center rule, state of depravity, day of forgiveness

It is a very long day. Standing in the citadel of Fire, in the Plane of fire - we're here to find out what Torrano the Grey was doing with the bodies she brought here and trying to learn who else might be involved. The factol of the Dustmen ordered us to return only with proof. At first I feared what would happen if we couldn't find the proof. Now I fear what will happen now that we have.

Our proof consists of every piece of loose paper from the office we discovered in the Citidel of Fire and the head of a Gith Serreh named Immogen. We defeated his forces on a grand stairwell in the northern part of the Citadel, near the office and quarters we ransacked looking for our proof. We also found 3 barmies who had yet to be "treated". Two of them are completely pacifistic in their own world, and one is crazy-violent. His name is Clarent.

We congregate in the office. We've closed the locks on the doors atop the grand staircase to keep the remaining soldiers out; we have no clue how many there are; but we're pretty sure we're outnumbered. Fortunately for us we've been able to pick where and when we battle, thus giving us a hefty edge thus far. Chryseis spends a moment praying to Athena, and is able ot see magic over the things we've gathered.

She senses a strong form of abjuration magic from the northern wall through to the south. She believes it's protective and from the near-by church. Imogen's sword is magical - radiating outward from the hilt, along it's length. She believes it's actually the hilt-wrapping that holds the magic and not the sword itself. The crystal armour is odd. It's substance appears to ripple and be translucent. It is somehow both insubstantial and impermanent? But it is otherwise not enchanged. The horse tattoos on Eki's arms are in motion. The tattoos surge with the pulse of his heart. It creates a conjuration effect that creates energy. Chryseis can't quite place the effect. The two potion bottles we found are magical. They both have mild effects that are drowned out by the aura of this place. The crystal wand is also magical. The bottles Ludvik found are filled with unholy water. The talisman he found is probably equally bad. Ludvik elects to discard them all.

While Ludvik, Eki and Chryseis go and clean themselves up in Immogen's bedroom, I start prowling around the bookshelves. Eki noteisces Quicksilver leaking from Chryseis's body. The silvery liquid seems familiar, but he can't place why.

The books on the bookshelves are mostly historical treaties. Amongst them is a recessed book. After a bit of searching, I find that the book is not really a book at all - it's just a facade. After a bit more examination, I reach out and pull it. The bookshelves divide into 3 panels and the one on the right opens up onto a narrow corridor, running about 15' north. It dead-end into a spiral staircase.

I call out and the others join me at the entrance. I go in. Halfway along is a note. Naturally I read it - and the ink spins about on the page and attacks me! I dive out of the way and scream. It misses and seems to go away. Ludvik joins me. I'm OK, but freaked! We go to the staircase and then up.

Listening at the door we hear two men talking. They are probably not more than 5 to 10 paces away. The door mechanism will no doubt make noise when we open it, and there doesn't seem to be a way to peak through or open the door just a crack. So we head back to the group.

As a group, we head back to the main doors. I have to wonder about the two guards across the hallway. When last we looked they were mating. We decided not to interrupt, but it did seem to be a rather odd time to perform such acts. At the main door Chryseis peeks out. There's four guards standing there. They don't immediately attack and we consider that to be a good sign.

Chryseis tells them that we just want to leave. If they promise to let us leave, we'll do no more harm. The guards seem to like this plan, but ask us to wait as their captain wants to speak to us. When he arrives, he approaches the door alone; and Chryseis and him discuss how to get off the island before the Mortuary reinforcements arrive. The crystal we found has the ability to open a portal on the far side of the island. It's a quick way to get the humans through to some random street in Sigil. We agree.

The captain orders the hobgoblins to man the balistae against the pending attack, while we made our way to this back gate. I manage (somehow) to open the gate and the humans step through; by the time the last of them go thought, the hobgoblins are starting to get curious. As the last one goes through he tosses a crystal off the island. It quickly begins to get hotter.

We hurry around back to the front, and jump through the gate that leads to the Mortuary. Once back in Sigil, we are arrested by the Mortuary guard and brought before the dustman's factor, Komosahl Trevant (Skrall's #2). We are closely interviewed, and he seems relatively pleased with the tale we have to tell, and we are allowed to depart with the goods we've collected from our adventure.

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